So I've been thinking about something lately, and I'd like to hear the list's thoughts on the matter. Bear with me before you get your flame throwers out . . .
I've been wondering how much the average end user really from Open Source software -- does the fact that a package is OS make a significant difference to a person who is not a programmer? Sure -- they could pay a programmer to do some work for them, but in my experience, it takes a fairly in-depth understanding of how a package works before you even know if it _can_ (or ought to) be modified the way you'd like. And then the cost of paying a programmer to add your modifications may be prohibitive. Programmers, on the other hand, should generally have very positive experiences in their role as OSS end users. They have the knowledge, means, talent, background, moxie or whatever to modify source code in meaningful ways. Now _Open Standards_ on the other hand, seem to be very beneficial to the average end user. When the end user utilizes file formats, network protocols, etc. that are based on open standards, they avoid vendor lock-in. This means the consumer dictates to the vendor what level of service is required. If the vendor fails to respond satisfactorily, the consumer can choose another vendor. Take, for example, Adobe's pdf file format. The software Adobe makes and sells is proprietary. The pdf format is essentially an open one because Adobe voluntarily publishes very detailed information about the format in a timely manner. The result is that a great many software packages can create pdf files -- and there are also multiple readers. The fact that none of us has access to Adobe Acrobat's source code hasn't been a detriment to us -- but the fact that the pdf standard is (essentially) open, has been a benefit to all of us. I'm not trying to suggest that open source software isn't important, or good, or any of that. I'm just wondering if the greater impact comes from open standards. Of course, I may be way off track. Please enlighten me. Dave ____________________ BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________ List Info: http://uug.byu.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
